Oil-retaining internal-gear drive



, A. R. HERFF.

olL RETAINING INTERNAL GEAR DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG23| 19.18.

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Patented May 27, 1919.

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A. P. HERFF.

oII REI/IINING INTERNAL GEAR DRIVE.

iIIII APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2,3, l9l8.

ADOLPH P. HERFF, 0F SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

OIL-RETAINING INTERNALGEAR DRIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 27, 1919.

Application led .August 23. 1918. Serial No. 251.192.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ADOLPH P. Hnarr, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State oi Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in OillRetaining In nal or external gear drive for motor vehicles, traction engines or the like, in which all of the gears run constantly in a bath of oil.

l The invention further has for its object to provide improved parts whereby the oil housing may be provided about the drive .mechanism with means to secure oil tight joints between the parts and tio relieve the washer 28 shown in Figures 1 and 4 (in the accompanying drawingsl of strain or lia*- bility to deform under slight eocentricity or wabbling caused by wear. improper adjust ment of bearings and the like or any eccentricity caused by improper centering of the main hub and wheel on the axle spindle.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application. and in which simi` lar reference symbols indicate correspon ding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the wheel and drive mecha nism and showing the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of a detail;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2: and

Fig. 41 shows a view similar to Fig. 1, with the parts separated and showing the order of assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, at 1 is desigmatedv a wheel such` for instance, as used on automobiles and 2 designates the usual brake drum carried by wheel 1.

The sleeve hub is shown at 3 and the main hub at 4, said sleeve hub 3 being adapted to ft over the main hub 4, in the manner shown in Fig. 1. In order tocause the Sleeve hub 3 to be driven from the main hub 4, I preferably `provide the adjacent faces of the 'two hubs with complemental grooves and ribs fitting into one another and shown at r38.

The main hub 4 is provided with .the screw-threaded end 5 which is arranged to extend beyond the sleeve hub 3 when the parts are assembled so that this screw threaded part 5 may receive the hub cap 6, which is also threaded to correspond and is ued to securely hold sleeve hub 3 in its p ace.

The hub cap 6 will be so arranged .as to be locked after screwing into place with some form of set screw or the like, .overcoming thereby any tendency of the hub cap 6 to work loose during operation.

At 7 and 8 the mam hub 4 is machined to present a smooth surface tothe felt washer 28 and metal ring 30.

At 9 is shown a flange to receive the web 10 of the internal gear 11 and bolted together by bolts 12 which would be one way of many of fastening the internal gear to the main hub 4.

A drive pinion 13 as now used in this form of drive is shown inmesh with the standard or regular internal gear. 11. Such pinion is shown on its shaft 14.-.'

In the accompanying drawings the bearings of the wheel are shown as ball bearings,

, but these maybe replaced with any suitable form of bearing without interfering with the spirit of the invention. y

The axle of the vehicle is shown at 15 and the axle skein at 16. At 17 and 18 are shown cones which coperate with correslpondingv cups 19 and 20 to form races for t e ball bearings 21 and 22.

A substantially circular disk or plate 23 is provided with a substantially central o ening to receive the axle 15 to which the p ate is rigidly fastened so as not to becalpablo of revolving. The plate 23 has a suitable eccentric opening to receive the drive shaft 14 and its bearings.

This plate 23 is of the requisite size to form an inclosing head for the brake drum 2, as shown in Fig.V 1 and, moreover, this plate 23 fulfils the further function of forming an 'inclosure for one side of the drive mechanism.

At circular shoulder 94 is `provnled on that A side of the plate 23 next to the drive mechanism, and this shoulder is intended to receive the outer edge of an annular flange 25 The joint made at this point is such that it will be oil tight.

The housing 26 fits up against the opposite side of drive mechanism and also about the outer edge or periphery of saiddrive mechanism, and is adapted to coperate with late 23 to form an oil chamber in which a ath of oil will be maintained. A A felt or -other washer 28 fits over the main hub 4, and is adapted to rest on a machined surface, as shown in Fig. 1.

This felt washer 28 is confined at one side by one end of the sleeve hub 3 and fits at its such shoulder 29 being arranged to fit close v other end against the shoulder 29 :formed on the ring 30 which surrounds the mam hub 4;

up against the machined surface 8. This ring 30 is preferably made of bearing bronze, although other material may be `found desirable.

Before inserting felt washer 28 into the bronze ring 30 it may be preferable to place about said washer a flat split steel ring whose function it would be tov cause washer 28 to contract, causing constant friction against machined surface 7 regardless of wear of the washer. This band is not shown in the accompanying drawing.

A flange 31 projects outwardly from the ring 30, and the outer edge of this flange 31 is separated from the adjacent inner peripheraledge of the `housing 26 by a space which is inclosed by an oil resisting flexible mem- 'brane 32. This membrane is in the form of a ring and its opposite edges are clamped respectively to the housing 26 and flange 31 by clamp rings 33 and 34; rivets, or other suitable fastenings passing through the edges of the membrane, rings, and other parts, as shown.

In order that the rin 30 and washer 28 may take the vmotion o. an eccentric strap about the axle spindle 16, I provide a torque lever 35, which 1n the instance shown is rigidly secured to the flange 31 of ring 30 and has its free end extending alongside the ver- I tical portion ofthe housing 26.

The free end of the lever 35 is adapted to fit within a sta le 36 or other suitable attachment carrie by said horizontal part of the housing 26; the staple 36 being arran ed in such a manner as to act as a guide to t e free end of the lever 35 so that a reciprocal motion of the lever can take place through said staple while the ring 30 travels l wheel bearings.

centrichousing 26 and the eccentrically mov ing yet non-revolving ring 30, I provide the membrane l32 which by its flexibility and ability to stretch will be able to adapt itself to the motion between the housin 26 and ring 30 while still remaining oil tig t.

It is not to be inferred that the main hub 4 isintentionally caused to run eccentrically on the axle spindle 16 but that such is caused by wear and improper adjustment of From the a ove description it will become plain that the washer 28 and ring 30 become full floating upon the main hub 4, regardless of the center upon which the-` latter revolves.

In Fig. 4 the first assembly of the parts vis indicated to the right, which consists of the main hub mounted upon its bearings with drive mechanism in place. Over this assembly is first slipped Athe housing 26 with its bronze ring 30 and membrane 32,in place, after which the flange 25 is securelybolted to the plate 23, makin an oil-tight'joint. The felt washer 28 witits accompanying compressingfring is next passed over the main hub 4 and -fitted up tight against the shoulder 29 of the bronze ring 30. Thereafter the wheel is slipped over the main hub 4 with grooves and ribs 38 in mesh, and lastly the cap 6 is screwed on the end 5 and locked. "f

It is the intention that the housinv described above shall be filled with oil or ubri- .cant to such a level as to assure the best re* sults.

The arrangement of the plate 23 is also such that it allows a passage 37 between it and theadjacentlend of the main hub 4 and internal gear 11, through which the oil may find its way to the bearings of the wheels. The plate 23 also serves as a head for the open end of the brake drum 2 and excludes dust therefrom and the otheninternal parts carried therein. i

In the accompanying drawings the lever 35 is shown as external of the oil housing, tha t is between the wheel 1 and housin 2.6, but this could be so arrangedthat said vlgever would be placed between the housing 26,and web 10 of the internal gear 11. This `would place the lever within the oil space ofthe oil housing affording better lubricatio be# tween the lever 35 and staple 36 'at lheir pointsofcontact. 4 l

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and `therefore I do'not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required' by -the claims.

Of course an external ear drive maybe made to :take the place o the internal gear shown, without modifying the invention here shown and described.

I claim:

:1. In combination with a drive mechanism, of a plate inclosing one side of said mechanism, said plate having a shoulder thereon, a cup-shaped housing inclosing the opposite side of said drivemechanism, said housing also extending about the outer edge of the drive mechanism, the housing having a flange fitting against said plate 'and having its outer ed e engaging against said` shoulder, and astening means passing through said flange and plate to hold the same tightly together and to rovide a fluidtight joint, substantially vas escribed.

2. In combination with a vehicle wheel, va brake drum carried by said wheel,"and' drive mechanism for said wheel, of a plate forming a head for said brake drum and inclosing one side of said drive mechanism, a cupshaped housing fitted about the opposite side andthe external ed e of said drive mechanism, said housingv aving -a llange fitting against said plate, said plate and housing providing together -an oil chafmber for the drive mechanism, and means for securing said' flange and said plate together to provide an oil-tight joint, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a wheel, a brake drum carried by said wheel, a sleeve hub also carried by said wheel, an axle, a main hub rotatably supported on said axle, said sleeve hub being adapted to be mounted on said main hub, means between said hubs for causing the same to rotate together, drive mechanism connected to rotate said main hub, a plate forming an inclosure for the open end of said brake d'rum and also acting to inclose one side of said drive mechanism` a substantially cup-shaped housing lying within said brake drum and inclosin the opposite side and the external edge o said .drive mechanism, said housing and late together forming an oil chamber or said d'rive mechanism, and means for providing a fluld-tlght joint between said housing and plate, substantially as described if. The combination with a rotating hub, drive .mechanism for rotating said hub a plate mclosing one side of said drive mec anism and hub, a housing inclosing theother s1de and the external edge of saidl drive mechanism, said housing and plate being s'ecured together, a non-rotatable rin on said hub, a flexible membrane connecte between said ring and housing, and means connected between said `housing and said ring for -resistingrctation of the latten'substantially as described.

.5. In combination with la rotating hub,v4 I

jomt, a non-rotatable ring on said hubl and spaced from the adjacent part of said housing, an oil resisting membrane connected across the space between vsaid ring and housing, said membrane being flexible andadaptedto permit relative movement between said housing and ring, and means whereby said rin and housing are connected together but which ermits of a relative eccentric. movement o the ring, substantially as described.

6. In combination withr an axle, of a rotatin hub on said axle, a wheel mounted on said ub, drive mechanism for rotating said hub, a plate inclosing one side of said drive mechanism, a substantially cup-shaped housing inclosing the other side and the peripheral ed eof said drive mechanism, said housing an plate having a joint therebetween, a non-rotatable ring on said hub, a flexible oilproof membrane connected between Y,said housing and ring, and a lever connected between said ring and housing for connecting the same together, said lever being arranged to permit a relative eccentric Jmovement of said ring, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a rotating hub, and drive mechanism for rotating said hub, of a plate fitted up against and inclosing one side of said drive mechanism, a substantially cup-shaped housing fitted up against and inclosing the op osite side of said Vdrive mechanism, a part o said housing extending about the peripheral edge of said drive mechanism and having a flange fitted against said plate. fastening means passing through the flansn` and plate, a non-rotatable ring on said hu i. a flexible oil-tight membrane connected between said rino' and housing, anda torque lever `connected between said ring and housing` sind lever being adapted to per- 4mit of relative Mentrc movementv of said tion of said housing fttimY about and inclosing the peripheral ed o said drive mechanism, a flange on sai' housmg lying against said plate, the outer edge of said flange engaging. against said shoulder, fastening-18e 75-2-"5 ing secured together to provi Ve afluid-tight means passing through said {lange and plate, side said housing, and means carriel'ly said a non-rotatable ring on said hub, there behousingfor embracing said lever angl adapting aspaoe between said ring and the adjaed to allow an eccentric movemerli of the 10 cent part of said housing, a flexible oil-lering with respect to the housing, substansisting membrane' connected between said tially as'described.

ring and the adjacent part of said housing, a

lever connected to said ring extending along- ADOLPH P. HERFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 've cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

